Folding-machine.



- Uni-TED sierras NPn'rnivtr OFFICE.

JAMES MOINTIBE, 0F WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB T0 Y. R. GLASS COMPANY, F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MABSACHUSIEZIYIS` Formare-MACHINE.

specimen@ er maar raient.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

' To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs E.`MoINTmE, .a citizen of the United States, and a resi- I of Weymouth, in the county of Norfflk 'and State vented certain Improvements in Folding- Machines, of which the following descrip- Ftion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference 1,0` characters on the drawings indicating like ,i parte in the several figures. l This invention relates to folding machines 4 1 is herein illutrated in connection with a "achine for folding the margins of .pieces off leather which are to be incorporated in fthe, ulpers of boots and shoes. A

` olding parts of uppers of shoes such asfgramps having narrow throats, thev edges ,ofv legs of which are straight or approxi- Inl so while the edges of theithroats -arewffi arpl concave, a .diiiiculty arises. Considerin first a mar 'n having a straight edge, in which case no s itting of the margin is required, Vthe distance from the oint at whichfthe margin is initially turne up by the plow tothe nearest oint at which the folded' over margin is orced down upon the body ofLAPthe material by the presser slflol'tld be suflicient to prevent stretching of the margin between t ese two points. If .all ed Y y cient istance between the presser and the ow could be provided and no diiiculty .would belencountered. When, however, a co" caye curve of short radius, such as Athat 4 ,y throat of' a vamp, is to be o rated the marn must be slitted t fprm `tongues and t e vam must be swung .sha 1y Yaround the p ow. It should be that when an unslitted margin is being4 folded, the presser, as it forces down the folded-over. ma acts to turn'or pull the partially fold margin farther' over, --but :tl-latino -such action takes lace when inthe marginhas been' slitted. nstead, the U n to straighten up as soon as they have` passed :the low,

resem.' descends u on t em they may either he pressed roper y into place or they may be crumpl or bent back in the wrong d1- rection. In the case of a slitted margin, therefore, fit is desirable that the p ow Were of Massachusetts, vhavei in- .ing may not move straight, or nearly so, Aa suand ywhen Vthe should be close to the presser; and the same arran ing t e throat of a Vvamp because of the sharply concave curve, so that when the vamp 1s swung around the plow such swingthe margin out of the path of the desdending presser.

Considering then the case of a vamp having two straight edges and a sharply curved narrow throat, two arrangements of the plow and the presser which are directly at variance with each other are desirable. If

the distancel between the point at which the imargin is initially turned up andthe nearest point at which the folded margin is pressed ownis sufficient to prevent stretching of said mar in so as to provide for proper Folding ofvt e portions 'of the margin having straight edges, then when the' throat is ent of parts is' desirable in foldreached, the margin slitted and the vamp swung sharply around the plow, the pressin will not be properly done, And on the ot er hand, if the distance referred to above is small enough to take Careof the throat, the margin will be stretched during the folding of the portion having straight edges.

One feature of the present invent 1on.com' prises a structure including a'plow ofsuch ged as to bend' each shape and so arran tongue downwardly )ust prior to the des cent of the presser and at thef same time to permit a concave margin ofsmall radius Aof curvature, such as that of the thro-at of a vam to be swung around it, The distance etyveen the point at which the margin is initially turned -up and the `nearest point at which it is unslitted mar 'n havl a strai ht and at the sal; time', rwi g cave edgefis is slitted, 'the tongues formed b ge; en a. sharply conthe Y ting are bent over just priort'o t e descent ofthe presser and the work may be swun around the low without taking it out o the path of t e presser.

4 Another feature of to an improved resser foot.

These and ot er features of the invention includin tion and com inations of scribed in connection wit 4 arts will be deforced down can thus 'l be made suiiicient to prevent stretchin an encountered and the mare'lgin the invention V relates certain details of construean illustrative i vties of the illustrative machine andV pointed out in the appended cutaway base of the plow. Thus by locatclanns. mg the hammer close to a plow of this shape Referring now to the accompanying the two conditions of straight and condrawing,-- cayely curved margins are provided for.

Figure l is a perspective of the work support and operating parts of a machine which is designed particularly to fold Vamps;

Fig. 2 is a detail showing a piece of work being slitted and folded;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the low.; Fig. 4 is a front elevation o the parts shown in Fig. l, certain parte having been broken away or omitted to show more clearly the shape and location Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the presser foot.

The feeding and foldingl instrumentalimachine are similarto those of the machine shownin the a plication of Glass Serial N o. 5,245 filed anuary 30, 1915. The vamp or other piece of work is fed over a work support 1 by a feeding foot 3 which intermittently presses the work against a block 5 and moves the work forward, the block swinging on its pivot 7. and being returned to the position shown in the drawings by a spring pressed plunger 9. A presser foot 11 descends intermittently upon the work between the feeding movements and 111 which descends close to the side of the edge gage 13 between said gage and the knife 1 5.

assing the knife, is turned'partially over by a plow 17 which thus forms the i'bld, after which the fold is pressed by the presser or hammer 19. Except for theconstruction of the plow and the presser foot the instrumcntalities are substantially theA same as those shown and described in the Glass ap- I above and no further description of them or the mechanism for operating them will be given.

The plow is peculiarly shaped in that it has a projection 117 which overhangs the body of the leather and is oset on the side plication referred to next to the hammer.l The shape of the plow is best shown in Figs. 3 and will be seen that the base of t e plownext. to the hammer has been cut away to provide the offset elfect referred to above. By making the plow of this shape it is possible'to provide suiiicient distance between the point at which the .margin is nitlally turned up and the nearest point at which the folded margin is pressed down so that straight unslitted margins may be folded` without stretching. At the same time when a curved throat is encountered and the margin slitted, the tongiles are crowded over oneiby one by the projection 117, so as to be pressed down properly by the descending hammer, and the vamp may be swung sharply about the of the plow;

of the resilient U has a., proJecting linger The margin of the leather., after.

, in which it of feed to provide for different curvatures 'of the throatsof Vamps.

In machines of the present ty e it is desirable that the p presser foot hold the leather firmly upon the support during the cutting operation; and to insure such holding the presser foot 'shown in the drawings has been provided. This U-sha ed operative end which is made resillent. en said foot is raisedthe position of its resilient portion is indicated in' Fig. 5 wherein it will be seen that the free end `(indicated at 211) lies slightly below the plane of the bottom of the ri id portion (indicated at 311). `When, there ore, the foot descends, contacts with the leather and then the resilient portion, yields until the bottom 311 becomes operative also. This holds the leather firmly during the cutting operation and pre vents improper turning or swinging `of the leather.

Having thus 'described Vmy invention; I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

A machine of the class described, having, in combination, means 4:for feeding a piece of stock intermittently into position t0 for slitting said stock to form tongues in the margin thereof, a fold presser, and a plow located between said knife and presser, said plow having an overhaliging portion arranged to bend each ton ue`dwnwardly and being out away at its ase on the side next to the presser to permit the'throat of a vamp of small radius to be swung around it.

'2. A machine of the class described, ,having, yin combination, meansfor feeding a piece of stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a 'knife for slitting the margin, a fold presser, and a' stationary plow located between said knife and presser, said plow, havingaprojection extending over the body4 of the stock and offset on the side toward the presser.. Tj

3. A machine of the .class described, having, in combination, means for feeding a piece of stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a knife for slitting the marginia fold presser-and f a stationary plowlocated'hctwcen said knife presser foot has a generally have its margin operated upon, a knifethe end 211 first 6 for folding the mnrgin, means for pressing' the fold, a knife for slitting said margin, :in edgev gage, endg ,presser foot having a Sulz` etantialy U-shaped-lresilient operative portion, there being foi'med at the free end of the U n finger adapted to descend between 10 the knife and the edge gage.

` In testimony whereof I have signed mj, mime to this specification.

JAMES E. MCINTIRI). 

